tantric astrology - dettatreya mahatantra

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the available text on dattatreya maha tantra is a small text

containing 15 chapters and 160 slokas. this text is also known

as "siromani", meaning "gem in the head'. the text is structured as a

dialogue between lord parameswara (lord siva) & dattatreya maharshi.

kala tantra (astrology) and kala mantra (medicine) are the 2 subjects

dealt with in. these are 2 knowledge streams the tantrics (tantric

disciples) learned with attention.

kala mantra is the branch of tantra that deals with the use of

medicine related to the tantric worship for the secret purpose of

killing others, attracting others, making people enemy to each other,

make people leave their native place, magic, de-poisoning, re-

establishing sexual ability etc. yes, it is a secret branch of study

and you will encounter thousands of superstitions and stupidities as

well in such texts, along with gem like knowledge bits.

kala tantra (astrology) is the branch of tantra that deals

with the study of time for the purpose of knowing about the past-

present-future, time of death etc. of these two (kala tantra and kala

mantra), kala mantra is the subject dealt with in the available part

of dattatreya mahatantra - the description of how to use medicine in

worship along with mantras for the purpose of shadkarma (marana,

mohana, uchadana, sthambhana, vidveshana, akarshana) etc. but we can

also find some small description about kala tantra (astrology) as

well, here and there in this text.

[use of medicine in worship seems to be a superstition. but

hundreds of medicinal plants are mentioned in such slokas, which i

think should have served some secret purpose in the hands of true

guru and sishya of tantric culture. tantra is a secret discipline,

and so who could say what would have been the real purpose and use of

these medicines mentioned - even though in the text it is stated that

it is used for the worship like homa etc]

since dattatreya mahatantra speaks about kala mantra and kala

tantra, we could guess that only one part of this text that deals

mainly with kala mantra is available to us and the other part that

deals with kala tantra might have been lost, in the turbulent flow of

time.

listen to the request of maharshi dattatreya to lord siva -

"approaching lord siva, the lord of all lords, the divine, the well

wisher of all worlds, savior of devotees, whose adobe is kailasa,

humbly, with folded hands, dattatreya asked: oh lord, for the benefit

of the devotees please give advice to us about kala mantra"

in the same style dattatreya might have learned kala tantra

(astrology) as well from lord siva (maheswara). that is why we could

find kala tantra (astrology) as well, here and there in this text.

only because dattatreya mentions astrology here and there in

this text, can be conclude like this? no. it is not the lone reason

for this conclusion. as mentioned earlier, "siromani" (gem in the

head) is another name for this text. which branch of study is praised

as "gem in the head" by the saints? listen to this sloka in vedanga

jyotisha-

"like the crest of peacock, like the gem stone in the head

of a cobra, astrology is at the head of all vedanga sastras (like a

gem)"

yes, the praise "gem in the head" usually goes to kala

tantra - astrology, astronomy and the related mathematics. because of

this even the other name "siromani" of dattatreya mahatantra,

indicates that kala tantra (astrology) is one of the subject matter

of the text. but that part of the text is lost, and is not available

anymore.

there is one more point that proves this argument. dattatreya

gives a list of chapters that are present in dattatreya mahatantra at

the beginning chapter of the text. here 18 chapters are mentioned,

but only the subjects mentioned in 9 chapters is available in the

printed text. chapters 1,9,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 (total 9 chapters)

seems to be missing. this also proves that the available text of

dattatreya mahatantra is an incomplete one.

if we agree up to this the question rises, "is it vedanga

astrology that dattatreya wanted to learn from lord siva?" no! as he

wanted to learn medicine (kala mantra) that could be made use for

worships aimed at purpose such as shadkarma etc, he might have

requested to teach astrology (kala tantra) that could be made use in

shadkarma etc. listen to his request to lord siva-

"in this word many types of talismans, manta, tantric

worships are present. many such are described in agama, purana, veda

and damara, and in many other texts as well. please advice the

knowledge of kala tantra that would help to utilize all that

knowledge (on yentra, mantra etc) 'in the right method' for

fulfilling the intentions" this is what dattatreya requests.

as said earlier knowledge about medicine (kala mantra) and

astrology (kala tantra) that would be of help is shadkarma etc is the

subject matter of dattatreya mahatantra. this knowledge lies

scattered in agama, purana, veda, damara etc. dattatreya is

requesting lord siva to collect all these knowledge and give

advice/teach him the same 'in the right/correct method'.

agamas are siva tantric texts - old as vedas. the word purana

here indicates 18 puranas and the sub puranas. the word veda here

indicates the 4 vedas and the allied literature called brahmana,

aaranyaka, upanishad etc as well. they are also known as nigama. but

for tantric devotees the word nigama indicates devi tantra. so the

statement 'agamokta' should be taken as indicative of both siva

tantra (agama) and devi tantra (nigama) texts. another branch of

tantra is vishnava tantra. damaras are also texts on devi tantra.

that is, the request of dattatreya to lord siva is to collect and

systematically present and teach him the vast knowledge on kala

tantra and kala mantra which is beneficial for the purpose of

shadkarma etc, clarifying the right method.

this sloka indicates that tantric astrology was in a

corrupted state at the time of dattatreya, and even for this great
maharshi it was very difficult to separate the right and wrong

statements from the pile. the sloka also indicates that even in that

remote past vedas and puranas borrowed the knowledge of astrology and

medicine from tantrics and incorporated it in those texts!

we can feel the pain of the rishi when he see that this pure

ancient secret knowledge is becoming lost knowledge for the siva

devotees. he wants it to be the heritage of siva tantrics. listen to

these words -

"this great knowledge (on astrology and medicine) - which

saves one who devotes himself to this subject, secret, difficult to

get even for davas, first told by lord siva, shines like a gem in the

head all secret knowledge branches - should be taught only to a

person who is the true devotee of the guru. this knowledge should not

be imparted to persons who does not believe in acharyas, tradition

and the purity of knowledge. one should teach this pure knowledge to

an individual who is strong willed and is a devotee of lord siva

alone"

the statement, "astrology is originated from lord siva"

(tavagre kathitahyesha) asks for special attention. even in the

period of prasnamarga (16th century) this truth was appreciated. even

today traditional astrologers read horoscope, or cast prasna after

bowing to that lord of lords maheswara (siva). this is the reason for

the importance of dakshinamoorti (lord siva in the form of guru, god

of knowledge) in astrology. lord siva is the ultimate guru and

originator of astrologic knowledge as per tantric tradition.

here i would like to mention a curious fact. if we consider

the concept about the originator of astrology as per different

schools of astrology, we will find that -

vedic school - lord brahma (tropical/sayana)

tantric school - lord siva (sidereal/nirayana)

arsha school - lord skanda (sidereal/nirayana)

jayne school - lord brahma (sidereal/nirayana)

this is curious! this difference in concept about the originator of

astrology, probably indicates that, these are all different schools

of thought in astrology, which probably originated and existed in the

same era. is it not so? since the basic concepts (such as rasi and

nakshatra) where the same, they might have got intermixed in a later

stage. it is also possible that, all these basic concepts such as

rasi and nakshatra was originally borrowed from some other

civilization which existed before all these cultures, such as the

sindhu-saraswati civilization. only an in-depth study and new

evidences could prove whether any amount of truth is present in this

guess or not.

in this essay i started by discussing the astrological

content in the available slokas of dattatreya mahatantra - and so let

us go back to that. most of the slokas after this discuss how

medicines could be utilized for shadkarma (kala mantra) etc. lord

siva tells dattatreya -

"now i will speak about kala mantra which is beneficial for

the upliftment of th individual. this secret knowledge (on medicine)

which is beneficial even in this kali yuga, i will teach you, putting

aside the knowledge of astrology"

because -

"(for the benefit with medicine) it is not essential to

consider tithi, nakshatra, vreta, day, pooja, japa, homa etc. even

the determination of an auspicious muhoorta is not essential. merely

applying the medicine that suits well for the well being of mind and

body serves the purpose. by the use of it the disease gets cured.

(medicines are invaluable, and their effect mysterious. because of

this i will explain to you, how to use these medicines in shadkarma

worships)"

with this advice lord siva starts to speak about kala mantra

(medicine). since those slokas are not related to astrology, i am not

discussing them here. if anyone is interested bye and read the

printed text of dattatreya mahatantra to know more about that.

but the last chapter of the available printed text (chapter

15) deals with kala tantra (astrology). the determination of the time

of death is the subject discussed. siva said:

"oh, maha yogi, dattatreya mahamune, for the benefit of human

beings i will tell to you about death time determination. listen"

dwadesa dala chakrastham mrityukalam cha veekshitam

chaitradi masa sankhayani likhyante dwadese dale

meshadi rasaya sthapya suryadi likhyate grahah

janma riksha janma rasim veekshante mrityukarake

surya vedhe manastapam budha soukhyam pravartate

yatrayam teertha jeeve cha chandre stri sukha sambadah

bhrigu vedhe rajya labhah mase mase vicharayete

(dattatreya mahatantra)

"from the rasichakra with 12 petals, we can have an idea bout the

time of death. for that first write the numbers of months starting

from the month of chaitra in each petal. in each of the petal place

signs starting from aries. now, as per current planetary position

write down the names of grahas such as sun, moon etc in the rasi

chakra. if the mrityu karaka graha (saturn?) aspects (drishti) the

lagna (lagna star?) or moon sign then it is death time. if vedha is

present, then for sun - sadness, for mercury - happiness, for

jupiter - pilgrimage, for moon - happiness from sexual acts with

women, for venus - gain of land results. this type of prediction can

be done every month"

some interprets that the sripati's system of gochara-vedha is

mentioned here (?!). they also argue that if nakshatra vedha and rasi

vedha is present at the same time then for sure it is time for kala

mrityu (ultimate/sure chance of death) (?!)

but this sloka was a real problem to me and i just got

confused. why? i will explain.

(1) mention of months starting from chitra

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why it is said that after drawing the rasi chakra we should

write down the numbers corresponding to the months starting from

chaitra in each square of the rasi chakra? did he mean to say that -

chaitra = mesha (aries)

visakha = vrishabha (taurus) etc ?

if so does it mean that the starting point of aries should be

calculated, taking chitra star as a reference? that is, as if the

point 180 deg away from chitra star is the starting point of aries or

the like?

(2) mrityu karaka graha

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is saturn mentioned with the word mrityu karaka? if so, the

wordings "janma riksha janma rasim veekshante sanaischare", directly

mentioning saturn would have been enough. then why the author chose

to omit directly mentioning saturn and instead used the word mritru

karaka (significator of death) ?

if not only saturn but also other planets should be

considered, then what other house lords and planets we should

consider?

(3) riksha - nakshatra or sign

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the word riksha has got 2 meanings - nakshatra and sign. with

the word janma riksha dattatreya maharshi is mentioning lagna

nakshatra, lagna sign, moon nakshatra or moon sign? if we think that

here the word riksha represents both nakshatra and sign, then is it

that we should consider both nakshatra vedha and rasi vedha for death

time determination? how to calculate nakshatra vedha and rasi vedha

in planetary context?

(4) vedha and the related prediction

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here if vedha is present for beneficial planets, then it is

said that results also would be beneficial!! this is contradictory to

the vedha concept of sripati. as per tantric astrology how many types

of vedha is present? how to calculate nakshatra vedha, rasi vedha and

graha vedha in the planetary context? what are the rules to be

observed while predicting with this type vedha concept?

(5) transit or gochara

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this gochara-vedha system of prediction can be used for

prediction every month (mase mase vicharayet) says dattatreya. did he

meant to say that transit should be considered for the determination

of death time? if so why he avoided mentioning the transit prediction

for mars, saturn, rahu and ketu?

(6) vedha and tantric astrology

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probably sripati who lived in 10th century ad, is the person

who introduced the concept of vedha in astrology. but here we

encounter a similar concept in dattatreya mahatantra as well! what

should we observe from it? should we think that dattatreya tantra

originated after sripati of 10th century ad? or should we think that

sripati borrowed the concept of vedha from tantric astrology

especially from dattatreya tantra?

no. i don't have answers to such doubts. if we want to find

answers to the above or similar questions, an in-depth study of the

astrology mentioned in tantric texts (tantric astrology) is a must.

for simplifying the study of ancient astrology, we can

classify them into several categories:-

(i) astrology in sindhu-saraswati period (sindhu-saraswati

astrology)

(ii) astrology mentioned vedas and allied literature (vedic

astrology)

(iii) astrology mentioned epics (epic astrology)

(iv) astrology mentioned in puranas (puranic astrology)

(v) astrology mentioned in tantric texts (tantric astrology) - it

is the biggest treasure, thousands of unexplored texts (and a whole

secret tradition) waiting for us!

[chandra hari is specially interested in tantric astrology and the

sidhantic astronomy]

(vi) astrology of arsha school which is scattered in various

ancient astrological texts. this is a well accepted stream in indian

astrology starting with skanda hora, brihal prajapatyam, vasishta

hora, kousika hora etc. the acharyas in this school are great rishis

like skanda, daksha, vasishta, kousika, sounaka etc, and the

authentic sidhantic text 'surya sidhanta'. (arsha astrology)

[i am specially interested in this stream of thought]

(vii) astrology of jayne school which is scattered in various

ancient astrological texts. this is a well accepted stream in indian

astrology starting with garga hora, surya prajchapti etc. the

acharyas in this school are garga, rishputra etc. (jayne astrology)

[yes, of course there are other streams of thought as well like

yavana and parasara. but books on that them is not yet lost

completely, and that is why i am not including them here on the above

list]

there is not even a single authentic text available that tries to

explore the depths of any of the categories mentioned above! there is

a vast area available for research! they are requesting to

us, "please, please, come forward and reveal the knowledge we

preserved for you..." all this ancient knowledge on astrology are

still behind the dark curtain of half forgotten, unexplored literary

history. this vast knowledge is praying to us, "tamasoma

jyotirgamaya...". yes, there is a large amount of work pending, and

is seeking our immediate attention. all these knowledge is meditating

there inside the dark cave and is ready to shower their secrets

before the true seekers of knowledge. those who are truly inquisitive

can start their search from here. let us begin our search for the

hidden treasures of astrological knowledge. enjoy! it is child's play-

and the vast treasure house waiting for us, to be explored! let us

begin search and present the valuables we find, before the all, for

the benefit of posterity! and enjoy the fun of learning!

love,
sreenadh